Shangguan Buhui’s face flushed crimson. A wave of immense humiliation flooded his heart. He was about to erupt in anger, but he remembered his sister’s words and forced it down, managing an awkward laugh. "Heh heh, Duke Qin, you must be joking. There has been a huge misunderstanding. It’s a shame we never had the chance to explain to Qin Li. The Shangguan Family has, in fact, always considered him our son-in-law! We were just waiting for Shiyu to return to arrange their wedding!"

As soon as Shangguan Buhui spoke, even his son, Shangguan Xuanyu, blushed and turned his face away. The others inwardly sneered at Shangguan Buhui’s shameless statement.

Qin Li gave a noncommittal "Oh?" and smiled faintly. "Is that so? I, however, have heard that your Shangguan Family is quite adept at kicking a man when he’s down!"

"That’s not true at all! It’s all just baseless rumors fabricated by people jealous of the Shangguan Family’s power... Um, to welcome you, Duke Qin, my Shangguan Family has specially prepared a banquet. I implore you, Duke Qin, to grant me this small bit of face and allow me, on behalf of the gentry and nobility of Yellow Sand City, to welcome you and wash away the dust from your travels!" Shangguan Buhui said, forcing a smile while enduring utter humiliation.

"And why should I give you face?"

Qin Li put on a curious expression, feigning great surprise. "It seems Master Shangguan and I aren’t that familiar with each other, are we? Heh. Besides, as I’ve said, I don’t have a very good impression of your family. If you want to invite me, you should probably wait until my opinion of you changes. And another thing... can the Shangguan Family really represent all of Yellow Sand City? I doubt it."

With that, Qin Li stopped looking at Shangguan Buhui’s face, which had turned an ugly shade of purple. He yawned and gave a friendly smile to the others. "Everyone, my apologies. It’s been a long journey, and I’m a bit tired. Another day... let’s get together another day! It’ll be my treat then!"

"Take care, Duke Qin!"

"Farewell, Duke!"

"Take care, Duke..."

The elites of Yellow Sand City all bid Qin Li farewell with broad smiles, not even glancing at Shangguan Buhui’s incredibly nasty expression. Everyone knew that the Shangguan Family’s days of dominating the city were over.

Watching Qin Li’s carriage depart, the dignitaries all boarded their own carriages and followed behind him, forming a vast and magnificent procession.

All the color drained from Shangguan Buhui’s face as he stood there with a few other members of the Shangguan Family.

Shangguan Xuanyu watched the people leaving with Qin Li and said angrily, "A bunch of fair-weather friends! They used to suck up to our family, and now that someone else is powerful, they’re fawning all over them. What a bunch of petty sycophants!"

"Exactly! No matter what, Duke Qin is still the Shangguan Family’s son-in-law. To do this is just completely disrespectful! He’s gone too far!"

"His status now is a noble of the Great Qi Kingdom! Why would he ever admit to being the Shangguan Family’s son-in-law?"

"He’s not even trying to hide it. Who doesn’t know it’s him! The man gets a little success and becomes unbearably arrogant!"

The members of the Shangguan Family all started talking at once. As Shangguan Buhui listened, he got a strange feeling: ’They aren’t talking about Qin Li, but about me... Shangguan Buhui!’

"All of you, shut up! We’re going back!" Shangguan Buhui roared before storming onto his carriage.

The driver of Qin Li’s carriage felt a bone-deep admiration for him. As a commoner, his view of the world was simple and direct. He had never driven a Viscount before, let alone a Duke. So, while he was initially just surprised at the noble status of the young man in his carriage, he now saw him openly mock the great figures who had come to welcome him—and those same figures didn’t dare say a word in reply. This direct impression made him admire the young Duke in his carriage to the point of utter prostration! He felt several years younger in an instant.

He flicked his whip in the air with a sharp CRACK, and the carriage sped off.

A cloud of dust rose from the official road, leaving behind the stunned elites of Yellow Sand City, who could only look at each other in dismay. Many wore awkward expressions, but at the same time, an understanding dawned in the hearts of even more of them.

The Shangguan Family’s position as the overlords of Yellow Sand City was likely... finished.

In reality, Qin Li had no interest in any of this. Once the carriage entered the city, it headed straight for the courtyard home in the affluent South City district where Hu and the others had once stayed.

Sure enough, at the gate, Qin Li saw the small group who had rushed back ahead of him, their foreheads still beaded with sweat.

Qin Li hopped down from the carriage and hugged each of them in turn. Seeing Leng Ping, Qin Li chuckled and said, "Gang Leader Leng, have you been well?"

Leng Ping smiled happily. "Thanks to you, Duke, I’ve been very well!"

Qin Li smiled slightly and entered the courtyard with them.

Qin Li’s eyes immediately fell on a large pile of obviously valuable goods in the courtyard, covered by a thick tarp. He was slightly taken aback and turned to Hu. "Brother Hu, what’s all this?"

Hu chuckled. "These are all gifts for you, Young Master!"

"For me?" Qin Li looked suspicious. ’Who would send me so much stuff? The families in Yellow Sand City? I doubt it.’

"Didn’t you save a group of young girls, Young Master?" Bu Yunyan said with a smile. "These are all things they sent from far away after returning to their families! They also said that if you ever need their help with anything in the future, you just have to ask!"

A flash of realization hit Qin Li. ’I can’t believe one good deed unexpectedly won me the friendship of so many families. This is a huge network of connections!’

A rare smile appeared on Leng Yao’s face. She said, "Yunyan is actually the happiest about this, because she has a huge ambition..."

"Don’t you dare!" Bu Yunyan threatened, pretending to be fierce.

Leng Yao didn’t fall for her act and continued, "Yunyan says she wants to become the most successful business empress on the Celestial Essence Continent! How about that? It’s quite an ambition, isn’t it?"

Bu Yunyan started to tickle Leng Yao, and the two beautiful, charming women began to frolic in the courtyard. It had been a long time since they’d had a scene like this. In the days Qin Li was gone, everyone had seemed to lose their resolve, wandering around listlessly all day.

The group went into a room, where Leng Ping began by briefly explaining the Daqing Gang’s current operations and income to Qin Li. He explained that he had faked his death—a fact unknown even to the Second Prince, who was now the Emperor. The Daqing Gang had also withdrawn from the Cyan Dragon Kingdom’s Imperial Capital, and as a result, their former influence had diminished significantly.

In reality, however, the Daqing Gang’s businesses hadn’t been affected at all. This was a testament to Leng Ping’s shrewdness. Back when he was allied with Zhao Xinghe, he had deliberately kept Zhao Xinghe’s people from infiltrating his key operations. After breaking ties with him, Leng Ping had then swiftly purged the gang of anyone connected to the former Crown Prince.

Now, the remaining businesses were all their most profitable ones, and all the core secrets were held by Leng Ping and a few other high-ranking members.

Many people knew that the Daqing Gang’s leadership had moved to Yellow Sand City; they were living there now. Even a local power like the Shangguan Family wouldn’t dare to offend them lightly. Not to mention, the Daqing Gang’s current backer was Qin Li. Even if you gave the Shangguan Family ten times the courage, they wouldn’t dare to start a conflict with Qin Li now.

Qin Li looked at Leng Ping and smiled. "Gang Leader Leng, there’s no need to report everything to me. I haven’t explained myself in detail before, so today, in front of everyone, let me tell you what I’m thinking."

Leng Ping and the others immediately grew serious.

Qin Li pointed to Hu, Bu Yunyan, and Leng Yao. "Gang Leader Leng, you’ve probably met these three already. So, let me reintroduce them. This is Hu, my sworn brother! And these two, Leng Yao and Bu Yunyan, are my... older sisters," Qin Li said with a smile.

Hu, Bu Yunyan, and Leng Yao were all stunned for a moment, then their eyes filled with emotion. Hu, in particular, was about to speak, but Qin Li stopped him with a raised hand.

"Brother Hu, don’t bring up the past. I, Qin Li, am not one to forget my roots. Back when I was down and out and no one would give me the time of day, you were the only ones who didn’t look down on me and helped me selflessly. Though I’ve never said it, I’ve always kept it in my heart. My achievements today are inseparable from the help you gave me back then!"

"Well... actually, it was all your own hard work. We... don’t seem to have helped much..." The tough-as-nails man’s eyes reddened slightly. He scratched his head, seemingly at a loss for words.

"It’s not the same. No matter how strong an individual is, without anyone to support them, they’re just a brave man, not a powerful one. I think Gang Leader Leng understands this better than anyone!"

Leng Ping looked at Hu and the others with a hint of envy, nodded silently, and sighed. "Yes, Duke Qin is right. Look at me. I started out as just a local thug. Without a group of brothers to back me up, how could I have achieved the status and power I have today? Twenty years ago, if someone had told me I’d one day be richer and more powerful than those great Noble Families, I’d have called them a fool. But today, I can say without hesitation that I’m not afraid of them, not even a family like the Shangguans with their Celestial Level masters! And it’s all because I, Leng Ping, have a band of brothers willing to die for me!"

At this, Hu could only nod and say, "Meeting Brother Qin is the greatest fortune of my life!"

Bu Yunyan and Leng Yao gazed at Qin Li, and though they said nothing, they too were deeply moved.

Qin Li looked at Leng Ping and said, "The second thing I want to say is this: from now on, I will only take one-tenth of the Daqing Gang’s net profits!"

"How can that be acceptable!" Leng Ping shot to his feet. He looked at Qin Li and said, "Duke Qin, don’t look down on me. I, Leng Ping, may have done bad things and been a bad person in my life, but I have never gone back on my word! The Daqing Gang is now the Duke’s property. Can it be that you... look down on us brothers, a bunch of ruffians?"

Qin Li waved his hand and smiled. "You’re overthinking it. If I looked down on you, wouldn’t it have been easier to just kill you all with a single sword stroke back then? When I say I’ll only take a tenth, that’s already a heavenly sum! And I guarantee that from this day forward, the Daqing Gang and Qin Li are in the same boat! And you, Gang Leader Leng, will still be the Gang Leader of the Daqing Gang!"

Qin Li glanced at Leng Ping and continued, "Don’t forget, you have a group of brothers too! The Daqing Gang doesn’t belong to you alone! They were willing to hand the Daqing Gang over to me to save your life. In return, you owe them a proper accounting!"

"That settles it!" Qin Li said, his tone leaving no room for argument.